2026 Minutes

Minutes of Meeting of Bishop Norton with Atterby Parish Council

Meeting held on 21/09/2026 at 7.30pm at Bishop Norton Village Hall

1.    Present: Cllr P Thody (Chair), Cllr J Suggit, Cllr A Panton, Cllr M Leak, Cllr T Dean, Cllr S Freeman (from 8.15pm),Ros Townsend (Clerk & Proper Officer).  County Councillor S Bunney. There were 2  members of the public in attendance. The Chair welcomed all present and opened the meeting.

2.    Apologies for absence and reasons given: Apologies were received from Cllr T Guy (Holiday). Cllr S Freeman also sent his apologies(Family Concerns) but was able to attend for the last hour of the meeting.

3.    Declarations of Interest: The clerk asked if there were any declarations of interest: Cllr T Dean declared her interest re IMC.

4.    Minutes of last meeting held on 13th July 2026 – circulated with agenda: Cllrs RESOLVED to agree the minutes from the July meeting,  which were proposed by Cllr T Dean and seconded by Cllr A Panton. The Minutes were signed as accurate by the Chair.

5.    Clerks report on matters arising from 13/07/26 meeting, not on this agenda: 

• The membership to Parish Online was cancelled;
• For a cost of £7, Land Registry confirmed that the Parish Council has owned the Allotments since 2009;
• The bank mandates have been updated – Cllr Suggit and J Moore removed- Cllr Freeman added; 
• A letter was sent to W Margraves regarding the safety of the Blacksmith Cottage wall, which has since been repaired; 
• The ditch by horse field – ownership of the field is still not determined; 
• Councillor training was cancelled due to speaker illness – a new date of 5th October has been agreed;
• A Whats App group for councillors has been set up;
• Cllr Freeman questioned Financial Risk Assessment – the colour of that section has been changed to Amber – the RFO reminded Councillors that they were able to ask her for any details regarding the PC finances at any reasonable time between meetings.
• Reinstating the Millenium sign - IMC has completed this.
• Previous Planning application at Atterby was found and details sent to Cllr Suggit as requested.
• A note of thanks regarding the Flower boxes was put in the September issue of The Triangle

Cllr Suggit mentioned that the area behind the Anglian Water pump on Stone Pit Lane was still smelling foul. The clerk mentioned that there was a drain on Well Street that was particularly smelly and that she had received a concerned phone call from a resident on Well St regarding the digestate being spread on the fields in that area of the village. The clerk provided the phone number of the Environmental Agency and put the details on the local Facebook page. (See Minute 13)

6.    Reports by Ward/County Councillors: Councillor S Bunney reported that:

• Local Government Reorganisation was on pause; 
• Local government elections will go ahead as planned in 2027;
• Booking time slots in local recycling centres is still being discussed;
• The improvements of the A15 have moved from the LCC to the Mayoral authority with hopefully the possibility of greater improvements;
• The nuclear fusion plant near Gainsborough is still looking to go ahead over the next 10 years;
• VIDA at Glentham – further information has been received and won’t go to planning until the end of 26 /early 27. Economically, it makes sense for it to go ahead. If it does go ahead it has been conformed that Barff Lane, Glentham will be made inaccessible to lorries so that pedestrians can feel safe walking there;

Cllr Suggit asked Cllr Bunney about the issuing of ammonia detectors to local communities. Cllr Bunney suggested that the PC apply for a grant from the Environmental Fund for some detectors for the village and that Biotech 4 should be asked to provide ammonia levels as it the provider whi is responsible for the levels and NOT the contractor who spreads it.
The clerk to investigate this.
Because the members of the public were present to discuss the Play Park, it was agreed that item 13 be discussed next.
13.    Play Park: an issue with the basket swing was reported to the PC and Wicksteed were immediately informed; the matter has been resolved. The clerk contacted LALC regarding the possible adoption of the small play park by the PC. LALC has sent a response (circulated to councillors) and has offered a 45m consultation with legal team re Section 106 and liabilities to PC. 

The PC received a letter from the BNAG stating that: 
In considering the financial offer, to offset potential future costs to the Parish Council, I have covered the following.
1) the equipment is in a good state of repair and the metal parts of the equipment are covered by a lifetime guarantee from Wicksteed.
2) the maintenance costs to date have been minimal. There are no moving parts and the area has been regularly inspected and cleaned. Ongoing inspection and routine maintenance, mainly cleaning of the equipment and removal of moss, should ensure the equipment last much longer than the estimate provided by Wicksteed last year.
3) the residents of the 16 properties covered by the S106 will have to cover the costs and fees for both Bishop Norton Parish Council and West Lindsey Council, as well as their own costs to modify the S106 should the Parish Council agree to take over the area.
4) at the last meeting, Councillor Bunney advised that Market Rasen council had agreed an amount of £10,000, to take over a play area. Our play area is smaller than the one in Market Rasen.
Bishop Norton Amenities Limited is therefore prepared to offer £8,000. This offer is conditional on Bishop Norton Parish Council taking over the full responsibility for the small children’s play area and West Lindsey Council Planning agreeing to amend the S106 to remove the obligations attached to the properties, to maintain the area into perpetuity.

Cllr Suggit asked if this money could be ring-fenced for the sole use of the play area; Cllr Bunney confirmed this was the case. Councillors felt that the Parish should be informed even though the precept would not be affected because of the ring-fenced money. Cllr Bunney suggested that this be the focus of the next Parish Meeting (May 27). The Chair suggested that as the council felt positively about this in principle, that we look to move forward. Cllr Bunney suggested that we talk directly to the head of planning.

The clerk to contact Rachel Hughes of WLDC to discuss.

7.    Correspondence: Correspondence was received from:

• Revd C Thody regarding improved traffic signage in Atterby following the accident on the sharp corner by the church

Apparently, unsuitable vehicles get stuck at this corner 2 or 3 times a week and have to reverse to Atterby. There are signs at Atterby but they don’t seem to be sufficient/visible/working. Cllr Bunney suggested that as well as providing photo evidence, that the PC should provide a map with current signage and suggestions for new sign placements. The clerk to organise this with the Chair.

• Notification of forthcoming traffic restrictions: this includes works for completion on Well St but only gives a long-term plan for the rest of the financial year. The clerk to ask if they can be more specific with their times.
• FOI courtesy of Cllr Bunny re Traffic accidents & statistics of the A15: these were much more detailed than the previous FOI received but not all the details are numbered.
• VIDA update via R Postolowsky: this was about a similar project in Anwick that was eventually passed even though the planners turned it down.
• Funding Information was received and Cllrs had been asked for their opinions about what the PC could use it for: Cllr Panton suggested that seating be purchased for the new play area and will investigate this. The clerk to move forward with this when details are forthcoming.

8.    Report by RFO: 

• The RFO reported on the feedback from the External Auditor; details can be found on the website;
• It was RESOLVED to add the Allotments to the Fixed Assets Register – proposed by Cllr Freeman and seconded by Cllr Leak.
• The RFO presented the financial report from 1st July to 31st August with the accompanying bank statement dated up to 21/09/26 (already circulated). Councillors should note that the PC do not pay upfront for LALC training hence why the budget has been exceeded; councillors need to consider if a different arrangement for the next financial year should be agreed.

The council RESOLVED that payment details and the bank statement were accurate and were signed as such by the Chair. 

• It was suggested by the RFO that the Council start thinking about the budget for 26/27 in the November meeting. The RFO also questioned the possibility of a budget committee being set up in view of the possibility of extra expenditure next year ie: clerk salary, clerk training and election expenses. Councillors Dean and Suggit agreed to assist the RFO with drawing up next year’s budget. The RFO to put details together and arrange a meeting with said Cllrs for discussion/review. 

9.    Standing Orders: the Clerk changed the terminology and added some timings in relevant sections. The council RESOLVED to accept the updated version of the Standing Orders proposed by  Cllr Panton and seconded by Cllr Dean.

10.    Planning Applications; Grange Farmhouse WL/2026/00661 – no objections were received. Land on Archer St WL/2026/00758 – a concern has been raised over window sitings and privacy relating to the 4 bed houses. The clerk to relay this information to planning. 

11.    Allotments and ditch drainage: Cllr Freeman determined that there was only one sleeper in greater need of replacement than the others. A second quote from OJTB(Waddingham) of £85 was sought.  Cllr Freeman had been asked to investigate dealing with the drainage issue. The clerk to ask IMC for individual sleeper replacement quote and OJTB for replacement of 6 sleepers. The clerk to ensure their insurance is in place.
Cllr Freeman is in discussion with Neil Flear re: cleaning out the ditch near the horse field. Cllr Leak expressed concern regarding the sewage overflow that still emanates from the end of Well St and flows diagonally across the road and into the ditch by the horse field. This is an ongoing problem. The clerk to write to both Anglian Water and Environmental Health regarding this and Minute 5.

12.    Public footpaths: There is still an issue with the path from Stone Pit Lane to Glentham – councillors are not sure who owns these. Cllr Bunney said we should contact Chris Marsh and Matt Sharp at LCC regarding this as they have a definitive footpath/ownership map. The clerk to contact as requested.

14.    Items for the next meeting: 

Play park progress; improved traffic signage; funding applications; budget committee/next year budget; quotes for sleeper replacements; sewage outlet on Well St.

Date of next meeting: Monday 9th November 7.30pm -hall booked

The meeting closed at 9.15pm

Chairperson signed……………………………………………………………Dated……………………………………………….